WOWO EXCLUSIVE: Senator Liz Brown joins Kayla to Talk Primary and Indiana’s Future

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO)— Election officials have officially declared State Senator Liz Brown the winner of the Republican primary for District 15 in Allen County, following a razor-thin margin of just 15 votes over challenger Darren Vote. The result makes one of the state’s closest primary races a focal point of statewide political attention.

Brown joined Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee on Wednesday to discuss the outcome and the days following election night.

“We were all in kind of a fog state,” Brown said of Tuesday night. “You’re standing outside, and of course, as you said, rain again, temperatures dipping all day. You think about 7:30, you’ll get a sense of where things are. We talked to the election board late Tuesday night, and it was clear that it was a very methodical process. Each card had to be carefully downloaded, which took several minutes per card, hundreds and hundreds of cards.”

Brown described the meticulous counting as necessary to ensure accuracy. “Now that it’s over, I can say I’m glad it was carefully calculated,” she said.

During the interview, Brown addressed the role of high-profile endorsements in her campaign. “Having President Trump’s endorsement, that doubled down for people like, ‘Oh, she is a conservative. I can trust her,’” she said. She also highlighted the support of Governor Mike Braun, noting that both endorsements were “huge” in bolstering her candidacy.

The race drew attention for its intensity and negative campaigning. Brown described sustained criticism from opponents during the campaign. “There was so much negative from my opponent. That’s the way to take an incumbent out—go negative. It was nonstop for almost a year,” she said.

When asked about the possibility of a recount or other challenges from Vote’s campaign, Brown said she is confident in the results. “These systems have a backup,” she explained. “The absentee ballots are very carefully counted, 429 counted when they come in, and I’m sure they’re checked thoroughly for mistakes ahead of time… I think you just have to accept it and try to unify the party and move on.”

Brown also emphasized her view of the professionalism of the Allen County Election Board, noting that the county is Republican-controlled. “They were exhausted. I think they were there till two or three in the morning, getting back in the office at 7:30 in the morning to get started. They were very professional in terms of saying, we know you’re tense and want to know, but we want to do it right,” she said.

Looking ahead, Brown encouraged party unity as the focus shifts to the general election in November. “We do need to come together as a party,” she said. “We all want our candidates moving forward to win in November. We need strong Republican conservative majorities.”

Brown concluded the interview with a personal note about election night. “My husband and I were at home. I have six brothers and sisters; he has seven. We were managing three text chains with family in different time zones. That was the first thing—started texting everyone—and then took a nap,” she said.

The primary results in Allen County underscore the competitive nature of local legislative races and the impact of endorsements and campaigning in tight contests.

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